Vibratory Media

[Craigwood]

Hey Guys
For when brass in thrown in a vibratory tumbler, how long does the media last before replacing it?

Are there different grades? You know, like sandpaper.

Is one media better than another? Walnut shells vs corn cob. got the corn cob when I got my Vibratory at the last weeks gun show at the Cow Palace.
I would think that the walnut media would do a better job cleaning.

And I have heard that adding a type of brass polishing compound to the media helps. And what is recomended?

[Boots]

I've found that the walnut media does a better job than the corn cob media. I also like the fact that since the walnut media is smaller, I don't have issues with the media stuck in the case and especially.. the flash holes.

Although I haven't tried it yet... alot of people recommend adding a bit of Nu-Finish to the media.. with some also adding a bit of mineral spirits as well.

As for me.. I'm quite happy with the Zilla walnut media... and will reserve the corn cob stuff for desperate times. ;~)

[Craigwood]

I've found that the walnut media does a better job than the corn cob media. I also like the fact that since the walnut media is smaller, I don't have issues with the media stuck in the case and especially.. the flash holes.

Although I haven't tried it yet... alot of people recommend adding a bit of Nu-Finish to the media.. with some also adding a bit of mineral spirits as well.

As for me.. I'm quite happy with the Zilla walnut media... and will reserve the corn cob stuff for desperate times. ;~)

Now what do you mean for the corn cob for desperate times. Is corn cob more of for scrubbing because it is a harder compound. And I have to agree. That corn cob does get caught in the primer pocket. I have to give it a good shake while leaving the machine on inverted and the sifter attached

[Malthusian]

Walnut media can be bought at feed stores for around $12 for 50#

I tried the mineral spirits with my Nu Finish and the results were awesome

Never tried corn cob

[Boots]

Now what do you mean for the corn cob for desperate times. Is corn cob more of for scrubbing because it is a harder compound. And I have to agree. That corn cob does get caught in the primer pocket. I have to give it a good shake while leaving the machine on inverted and the sifter attached

No... corn cob is softer that walnut. I bought a jug of Lyman's corn cob media when I first started... did about four tumbles with it until I bought the walnut media and haven't used it since.
The walnut, from my experience, cleans faster and leaves a better shine that the corn media.

[ojisan]

Dillion Rapid Polish and walnut media.
Awesome!
Always be sure to completely mix in any liquid additives you may add to the media before adding the dirty brass.
My only reload failure ever was a damp clump of media stuck in a .45 ACP case that I did not see....I was going too fast on the progressive press.
I had added more polish to the media while the brass was already in there tumbling.
The clump of media used up internal case volume and drove pressures too high.
I had a case head partial separation upon firing this round.
Part of the media clump was somehow still in the case, making the kaboom cause fairly obvious.

[Craigwood]

Walnut media can be bought at feed stores for around $12 for 50#

I tried the mineral spirits with my Nu Finish and the results were awesome

Never tried corn cob

It seems people are mentioning nu finish. Nu finish is a car wax...right? Can I use Brasso in the media? Or another car wax polish wax?
And how much of either do I add to the tumbler?

[Dubious_Beans]

Crushed walnut shell from the feed store for about $13 / 50lb.
A shot of Nu finish car wax, and a dryer sheet to help suck up dust and stuff.
I have no idea how long the walnut lasts. So far a tumbler full has done 3000+ 9mm brass and I've still got most of a 50 lb sack left....

[z-bob]

Can I use Brasso in the media?

No. I mean, you can, but the ammonia can cause stress corrosion cracking (case failure.)

I use corncob media that I bought from Grainger, and I add just enough powdered red rouge to turn it pink. It doesn't clean up nasty brass as fast as Lyman's TuffNut walnut media, but it's a lot less messy and it's cheaper. I usually throw the brass in and let it run all night.

I have a half a jug of TuffNut, so when my current tumbler full of media wears out I'm going to replace it with half TuffNut and half untreated corncob.

[oddjob]

I bought a bunch of reloading equipment and there was some white powder that was to be dumped into the cleaning media. I did and it worked well. Trouble is I threw the package away and forgot to see what it was. Anyone have an idea what that stuff was?

I use Nu Finish and walnut media normally. Cheap and cleans nice.

[gvbsat]

Go to your local feed store and buy a 25# bag of ground wall nut for about $8. Change your media every other time, or every third time you use it, and you will not need to use polish or purchase anything that makes the brass purdy. Oh yeah, and you want to get the "fine" grain.

[CodeDog]

I use rice.

[Tythagoras]

Nu Finish has been mentioned a few times. Under that brand, there's a wax and a polish. You want to use the polish, and avoid the wax.

I haven't heard of any guns blowing up because of the wax, but it would seem that anything that would cause a dramatic increase in bolt thrust (from reducing the frictional drag between the chamber wall and the cartridge case) could be a bad thing.

Don't get too absorbed in getting your brass glowing bright, clean is good. The main reason for tumbling is just to get the abrasive gunk off of them so that they don't cause unnecessary wear on the sizing die. Shiny is a bonus, it affects neither reliability nor precision.

One useful aspect of shiny cartridges might be to evaluate your storage. Keeping them at a constant temperature at low humidity should cause them to stay shiny indefinitely. If my cartridges start out shiny, and I go look at them a few months later and they are not, that means that I should change my storage method.

Pet-store grade crushed walnut shell works great for me, and a 25lb bag will last a good, long time.

[Boots]

Don't get too absorbed in getting your brass glowing bright, clean is good. The main reason for tumbling is just to get the abrasive gunk off of them so that they don't cause unnecessary wear on the sizing die. Shiny is a bonus, it affects neither reliability nor precision.

+1 That's why I'm still on the fence about adding a polish to my media.
I'm quite happy with the results of the walnut media (Zilla, pet store stuff) and got some nice clean metal after a 40 minute tumble.... which I do twice, before and after resizing.

[xfer42]

I use Kaytee walnut litter. Works great. I also clean my media every solid week of use (168 hours). Just put in in a bucket with some car wash soap and rinse it a few times. The walnut sinks to the bottom, but the dust and grease floats to the top. Once its rinsed, I strain it with screen (bacon splatter shield). I then put in under the dryer vent for about week. While that is drying I have another batch in use in the tumbler and just alternate.

It keeps the dust down and ensures you get all that case lube out. On the first few batches after the wash, the shells come out nice and sparkly without the use of any polishing compound.